Page 51 of Everest

Faye turns back to me, and her eyes, like London’s, lock onto mine with startling clarity. “You know she’s scared, right? Not of you. But of what it means to need someone. To lean on someone.It’s just not in her nature, but she wants it nonetheless. With you.”

I nod but remain quiet because I feel she has more to say.

“My daughter needs someone who won’t buckle. Someone who will be her peace when the world is on fire and her strength when hers runs out.” She places her hand on top of mine. “There will come a day when I won’t be here anymore. And I don’t just mean the breathing part. This disease I have, it’s a thief, Everest, stealing pieces of me every day, little by little. And one day, it will take the rest. I won’t remember her name or her face. But my baby will remember the pain. She’ll carry it for the rest of her life.”

My throat tightens—the weight of her words anchoring in my chest like concrete.

“She’s gonna need someone who doesn’t just love her, but someone who stays.” She pauses. “Promise me you’ll be that man. That you will be her strength when everything else falls apart.”

I squeeze her hand. “I promise to be all that and more. Whatever she needs, whatever it takes, I’ll be that man.”

A tear slides down her cheek, and she nods. “Then I can let go of some of this worry. I can see that you will burn the world down for her." There’s another silence before Faye says, “She loves you. I may forget sometimes, but I'll never forget the light in her eyes when she says your name. That kind of light doesn’t lie.”

My jaw clenches as I fight back a wave of emotions tightening in my chest.

Faye leans back in her chair, a tired smile lingering on her lips. We sit in silence for a few more moments before I finally rise to leave.

She reaches for my hand again. “Don’t let her push you away when she’s scared. My girl’s heart is bigger than she will ever admit.”

I lean down and kiss the top of her head. “I won’t.”

I leave with more weight on my chest than before stepping foot in this place, making a vow to a woman who won’t remember my name one day. But she will never forget what love looks like when she sees me and London together.

Since we’re already out this way, I decide to swing in at Pink Paradise and see Tony. I lift a hand signaling to Nova, and he pulls in behind me.

We park out front. The place is quiet. There are no cars because the doors haven’t opened yet, and we cut the engines.

“What’s up?” Nova asks.

“Thought we’d check in with Tony, see if he’s got anything on Velasco.” I climb off my bike.

Nova scans our surroundings and then looks toward the entrance of the club. “Feels wrong.”

He ain’t the only one sensing something is off.

Before going in, we head around back, checking shit out. It smells like piss and beer soured by the heat. The dumpster’s lid is half open, and crushed beer and whiskey bottles are scattered everywhere. I reach for the back door’s handle. It’s unlocked. I look at Nova. That’s our first red flag.

We take out our weapons, keeping them at our sides, walk inside, and make our way to the front of the building. The air is thick, and it’s too damn quiet. We move slowly as broken glass crunches beneath our boots. The place looks like a tornado ripped through it, broken bottles, chairs overturned, and tables flipped.

“The place is torn the fuck up,” Nova mutters, looking around.

He strolls over, flicking switches on the wall. “Lights are dead.”

We move across the room and enter the hallway.

My gut twists. “You smell that?”

“Yeah,” Nova whispers. “Blood.”

A low, pained grunt coming from the back breaks the silence.

We raise our guns and move toward the sound. We pass the girls’ dressing room, trashed just like the rest of the place.

We reach the office, the door half off its hinges. Inside, we find Tony slumped in his chair behind the desk, his shirt soaked in blood and one arm hanging limp at his side. His face is wrecked, one eye swollen shut, his lip split down the middle, and blood dripping from his nose.

“Fuck,” I mutter, holstering my weapon. “Tony.”

His head jerks up, barely.

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